And I wish someone would give it right back to me. I am declaring that my creative space, my life, my waking and sleeping hours are filled with too much noise, too many distractions that are keeping me from what I should be doing. Want to be doing. I have had it and need some peace and quiet.
But where do I find that peace and quiet? I don’t think I could afford a week at the Plaza where I wouldn’t be disturbed except for meals and urgent calls from Colin Firth or Javier Bardem. I just want to stay with this thought for a minute.
Back here on earth, the noise level has reached a point where even those sacred places of quietude are hard to find. I went to sit in a mediation group a few weeks ago, and people were chatting and singing outside the door and I could not protect my quiet from the onslaught of everybody else’s agenda. It sucked and I felt like my right to some peace had been infringed upon. And I think there is nothing worse than getting into a verbal battle over the right to some quiet. Not very Zen-like.
So what would a Chinese Taoist Philosopher do? Lao Tzu said, “Silence is a source of great strength.” That resonated with me. I can’t change the world even though I would like a shot at it, but I can change me and how I deal with world and all its noise pollution.
So I am going to try to make the world’s noise part of the daily rhythms in my life and I am going to be grateful that I can hear it. And I am going to make time to remove myself from it. I even put up a Buddhist altar in my sunroom and I must say that one of my cats, Minnie, goes there every day and hangs out with Buddha. I may not get there as much as I would like, but when I pass by, I take a deep breath and am happy that I had a place to design my little altar.
I am going to listen to what the silence is trying to tell me and I am going to learn something from the noise. We can’t go backwards because our world never sleeps, so I am going to get inspired by it all. And my art and writing will benefit from the sounds of silence and the pulsations that will also make up my day.
“An inability to stay quiet is one of the most conspicuous failings of mankind” was coined by Walter Bagehot. I think Wally needs to loosen up a bit. Have a glass of wine and chill out a bit. He died in 1877 so he never experienced the likes of radio, TV and all things beginning in a small “i.” He might have completely freaked out. Not very Zen-like.
So how do you turn off the noise?
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I need to do the same, its time to slow things down a little. Well written.
My kids tell me I have supersonic hearing. When I’m home and its quiet I am so happy. When they are home from college, though I’m happy to see them, there is so much noise! Even when I’m driving I often turn off the radio. I love peace and quiet – a side effect of getting older, I guess.
Hi Kay,
It’s almost like if you can’t beat them then join them. I like to work in quiet, but recently I introduced music and I like how some days it pumps me up a bit and I find myself stopping and just taking it all in. I think as an ex-New Yorker I felt that the rhythms were the best part of walking down 5th, 6th or 8th Aves. And as far as racing minds go – let’s do a race one day and may the best mind win. Glad you like the new art – it is a double-headed crocodile I drew and that is all about protection. Minnie wanted a cut and hired a lawyer but we settled and now she is content to sleep for 23 hours after she gave up her modeleing career here at HWT.
Love the new art, but I also love Minnie’s photo, too. Glad to hear she’s settled down, gave up the fight, and is content sleeping 23 hours a day. You crack me up!
P.S. I love your photo of Ruby meditating. And I also love your feature image. It looks great on the home page.
Elizabeth, this is funny! I cracked up–laughed loudly a few times–not very good for the noise level here in the office when others are trying to concentrate. Really, this gave me some good chuckles. Thank you.
So how do I turn off the noise? Well, I actually love the quiet and quite often in my house it’s still except for an occasional dog barking or cat meowing. No TV, no radio, no music. To me, that’s heaven.
But do I listen to the silence? Not really. Most of the time, my mind is constantly racing with thoughts.
I want to know how you make the world’s noise part of the daily rhythms. Thanks for an enjoyable post.